“It will really be traumatic”

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has said that Arsenal cannot squander their Premier League title hopes after being in a dominant position for much of the title race this season.

The Gunners’ title hopes took a hit on Saturday following a 2-1 home loss to AFC Bournemouth. Viktor Gyokeres had cancelled out Eli Junior Kroupi’s early opener for the Cherries before Alex Scott bagged the winner 16 minutes from time.

Second-placed Manchester City duly capitalised on the league leaders’ slip-up, closing the gap to six points with a game in hand by winning 3-0 at Chelsea a day later.

Ahead of the Gunners visiting City in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday (April 19), Neville said that Mikel Arteta’s side must regroup quickly as they seek to end a 22-year league title drought.

“I said a few months ago that Arsenal have to win this title from the position that they’re in, and I still believe they have to because it’s a long road back at the end of the season,” Neville wrote in his column for Sky Sports. “If they don’t win it this year, it will really be traumatic.

He added:

“We know the build-up to the game next week, what the narrative is going to be against Arsenal – that Man City are going to catch you, and there seems to be a sense of joy watching Arsenal collapse. They’ve got to try and swim against the tide and hold their nerve.

“But before next Sunday, they’ve got to find a balance of that emotion that you need, which is passion and fight to win a football match, but not becoming too desperate.”

The Gunners have reason to be wary ahead of their trip to the Etihad, as they haven’t won a league game there in 10 visits, losing seven, but have drawn the last two.

“It’s a big punch in the face” – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after Bournemouth defeat

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta didn’t mask his disappointment following the Premier League defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth at the weekend, squandering a chance to go 12 points clear at the top.

Admitting that his side lacked fluency and struggled in defence, the Spanish boss said that his side lost to an in-form team but now need to react the right away ahead of a potential title decider at the Etihad on Sunday.

“Disappointing,” he told TNT Sports (via BBC). “It’s a big punch in the face, and it’s about how we react now. They are a team who haven’t lost for 11 games for a reason, they did a lot right.

“We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it’s a deflection, a bad defending action, and it’s a goal. That’s something we have to recover from. The second half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today.”

The Gunners next host Sporting CP on Wednesday (April 15) for their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, having won 1-0 in the first leg in Portugal last week.